Track-wheel axle.



' No."74'7,691. PATENTEDIDEGQZZ, 1903.- A. RTFOSTER & G. w. 000K.

TRACK WHEEL AXLE. APPLICATION FILED my 1, 1903.

no MODEL.

V lli/ A6 M 1 1 UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM R. FOSTER AND GEORGE W. COOK, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

TRACK-WHEEL AXLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,691, dated December 22, 1903.

Application filed May 1, 1903. Serial No. 155,114. (No model.)

Our invention relates to track-wheelaxles of that class in which each wheel of the truck has an independent axle to enable the wheels to rotate at variable speeds, and thus round curves Without imposing on the axle the great strain which is incidental to the use of an axle of the. type in common use, this strain being incident to the natural attempt of the Wheel on the outer side of the curve to travel at a greater speed than that at the inner side, our special objectin this connection being to produce a sectional axle which is of greater strength than the non-sectional axle.

A further object. of the invention is to produce at small expense a structure of this character from an old axle, and thus enable a railroad company to equip their old cars with the sectional axle at a comparatively small expense.

With these objects in view the invention consistsin certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, and in .order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which-=- Figure 1 is a View, partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section, of a car-wheel axle embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line III III of Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 are detail perspective views of one of the coupling-bands and one of the retaining-nuts.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates the wheels of the usual or any preferred type. The sectional axle 2 comprises inner portions of like construction and may be manufactured independently of each other or may be produced by cutting'an 01d axle in halves and then turning the inner ends of each section down, so as to produce the reduced portion 3 and the reduced portion 4, the latter occurring at a suitable point be- 6 designates a sleeve mounted upon the reduced portions of the axle -sections when fitted together end to end,as shown in Fig. 1,

the external diameter of said sleeve correspending to that of the contiguous larger portions of the axle, so that said sleeve, in-conjunction with collars 5, shall resist inward pressure imposed by the axle-sections, and

thus maintain the wheels at the required distance apart.

The sleeve 6 and the axle-sections between the collars are-journaled in a large sleeve 7, which likewise by engagement at its ends with the collars cooperate in resisting inward movement of the wheels. The opposite ends of sleeve 7 are externally threaded and engaged by internally-threadedcoupling-bands v 8, which project beyond the opposite sides of the collars 5 and are engaged by the threaded stems of retaining-nuts 9, in which are journaled the axle-sections between their respective collars 5 and Wheels 1, the inner ends ofv said stems bearing against the opposing sides of the collars, so as to resist, through the medium of the coupling-bands, any outward movement of the wheels, which would tend to withdraw their respective axle-sections from sleeves 6 and 7, and in order that the joint between the coupling-bands and retaining-nuts shall be protected against the entrance of dust'the contiguous portions of said bands and nuts are of cylindrical formation, as at 10 and ll,,respectively, to receive the rubber collars 12.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that independent endwise movement of the axlesections is prevented, but that each is free to rotate independently of the other to the end that the wheel on the outer track of the'curve shall turn at a speed greater than the 0pmpanion wheel. As a result,there is no sliding of the outer wheel on the track, and the strain on the axle incident to such action is avoided. Furthermore, as the sleeves, coupling-bands, and other parts of the axle fit snugly together they rotate with the axle when the wheels are traveling on a straight portion of the track and with the inner wheel on the axle when the train is rounding a curve. In the former case there is obviously no friction between the solid and sleeve portions of the axle, and in the latter case the friction is approximately measured by the difference in speed between the wheels, the sleeve portions of the axle rotating at about the speed of the inner wheel and the outer solid portion of the axle at the speed of the outer wheel. If desired, the axle may be equipped with oil-cups 13 of the type shown or of any other suitable or preferred type.

By permitting the outer wheel to rotate as long as the car is in motion instead of spasmodically rotating and sliding the period of service ofboth the wheels and the trackis materially lengthened. Flat wheels, caused by sliding, are not only objectionable to the passengers on account of the noise and incident shock or jar, but also because the pounding is apt to result in serious injury to the Wheels and to the rails.

From the above description it will be apparent that we have produced a car-wheel axle embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of invention, and while we have illustrated and described the preferred construction of the invention it is to be understood that we reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail construction and arrangement of the parts as shall properly fall within its spirit and scope.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A track-wheel axle, comprising sections longitudinally alined collars on said sections and of greater diameter, a sleeve forming a journal for the sections and hearing at its opposite ends against the inner sides of the collars, coupling-bands surrounding the collars and secured to the ends of said sleeve, and retaining-nuts also forming journals for said axle and secured to the coupling-bands and bearing against the outer sides of said collars.

2. A track-Wheel axle, comprising sections longitudinally alined, collars 011 said sections and of greater diameter, a sleeve forming a journal for the sections and hearing at its opposite ends against the inner sides of the col lars, coupling-bands surrounding the collars and secured to the ends of said sleeve, retaining-nuts also forming journals for said axle and secured to the coupling-bands and hearing against the outer sides of said collars, and rubber collars embracing the contiguous ends of and covering the joint between the coupling-bands and retaining-nuts.

3. A track-wheel axle, comprising two sections having contiguous or inner ends diametrically reduced, a sleeve mounted upon said reduced portions and bearing against the inner ends of the non-reduced portions, collars mounted on the axle-sections and of greater diameter than the same, a sleeve forming a journal for the axle-sections and the firstnamed sleeve, and hearing at its opposite ends against the inner sides of the collars, coupling-bands surrounding the collars and secured to the ends of said last-named sleeve, and retaining-nuts also forming journals for said axle and secured to the coupling-bands and bearing against the outer sides of said collars.

4. A track-wheel axle, comprising two sections longitudinally alined and reduced diametrically at their contiguous ends and suitable distances from such ends, a sleeve mounted on said-reduced ends of the axle, collars secured upon the other reduced por tions and of greater diameter than the nonreduced portions of the axle, a sleeve forming a journal for the axle-sections and the firstnamed sleeve, and hearing at its opposite ends against the inner sides of the collars, cou pling-bands surrounding the collars and secured to the ends of the last-named sleeve, and retaining-nuts also forming journals for said axle and secured to the coupling-bands and bearing against the outer sides of said collars.

5. A track-Wheel axle, comprising sections longitudinally alined, collars on said sections and of greater diameter, a sleeve forming a journal for the sections and hearing at its opposite ends against theinner sides of the collars, coupling-bands surrounding the collars and secured to the ends of said sleeve, retaining-nuts also formingjournals for said axle and secured to the coupling-bands and hearing against the outer sides of said collars, and flanged Wheels secured upon theaxle-sections outward of such ends.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

ADAM R. FOSTER. GEORGE W. COOK. Witnesses:

H. C. Ronenns, G. Y. 'll-tonrn. 

